PROF. ARNOLD B.

ASOTIGUE, LPT, MSciEd

Lecture 6: UTILIZATION OF ASSESSMENT
DATA 1

2
LEARNING OUTCOMES
At the end of the lesson, you should be able to:
1. Explain the meaning and function of the measures of
central tendency and measures of
dispersion/variability;
2. Distinguish among the measures of central tendency
and measures of variability/dispersion; and
3. Explain the meaning of normal and skewed score
distribution.
INTRODUCTION
•A measure of central tendency is a sing value that attempts to
describe a set of data (like scores) by identifying the central
position within that set of data or scores.
•Measures of central tendency are sometimes called measures of
central location.
•Central tendency refers to the center of a distribution of
observations.
•Where do scores tend to congregate?
•In a test of 100 items, where are most of the scores?
INTRODUCTION
If the measures of central tendency indicate where
scores congregate, the measures of variability
indicate how spread out a group of scores is or how
varied the scores are or how far they are from the
mean? Common measures of dispersion or variability
are range, interquartile range, variance and
standard deviation.
THE MEASURES OF CENTRAL TENDENCY
(THE MEAN – ARITHMETIC)
❑The mean (or average or arithmetic mean) is the most popular
and most well known measure of central tendency.
❑The mean is equal to the sum of all the values in the data set
divided by the number of values in the data set.
❑For example, 10 students in a Graduate School class got the
following scores in a 100-item test: 70, 72, 75, 77, 78, 80, 84,
87, 90, 92.
❑The mean score of the group of 10 students is the sum of all
their scores divided by 10.
WHEN NOT TO USE THE MEAN

✓The mean has one main disadvantage, that is particularly

susceptible to the influence of outliers
✓For example, consider the scores of 10 Grade 12
students in a 100-item Statistics test below:

Score 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
5 38 56 60 67 70 73 78 79 95
 Measure of Central Tendency 8

(Mean)
1. Mean is the most commonly used measure of the center of data and it also
referred as the “arithmetic average”.

Computation of Population Mean

Σ𝑋 𝑋1 + 𝑋2 + 𝑋3 + ⋯ 𝑋𝑁
𝜇= =
𝑁 𝑁
Computation of Sample Mean

Σ𝑥 𝑥1 + 𝑥2 + 𝑥3 + ⋯ 𝑥𝑛
𝑥ҧ = =
𝑛 𝑛
 Measure of Central Tendency 9

(Mean)
1. Mean is the most commonly used measure of the center of data and it also
referred as the “arithmetic average”.

Computation of the Mean for Ungrouped Data

Σ𝑥
• 𝑥ҧ =
𝑛
Σ𝑓𝑥
• 𝑥ҧ =
𝑛
 10

Scores of 15 students in Mathematics I quiz consist of 25 items. The highest score

is 25 and the lowest score is 10. Here are the scores: 25, 20, 18, 18, 17, 15, 15, 15,
x 14, 14, 13, 12, 12, 10, 10. Find the mean in the following scores.
(scores)
25 Σ𝑥 = 228; n=15 The average performance of 15 students who
20 participated in a mathematics quiz consisting of 25
Σ𝑥 228
18 𝑥ҧ = = = 𝟏𝟓. 𝟐 items is 15.2. The implication of this is that student
18 𝑛 15 who got scores below 15.2 did not perform well in
17 the said examination. Students who got scores
15 higher than 15.2 performed well in the
15 examination compared to the performance of the
15 whole class.
14
14
13
 11

Find the Grade Point Average (GPA) of Laiza Seguerra for the first semester of the
school year 1452-1453. Use the table below:
Grade
Subjects Units (Wi) (Wi)(Xi)
(Xi) Σ(𝑊𝑖 )(𝑋𝑖 )
BM112 1.25 3 3.75 𝑥ҧ =
Σ𝑊𝑖
BM101 1.00 3 3.00
AC103 32
1.25 6 7.50 𝑥ҧ =
N 26
BEC111 1.00 3 3.00
𝑥ҧ = 𝟏. 𝟐𝟑
MGE10
1.50 3 4.50
1
MKM10
 Measure of Central Tendency 12

(Mean)
Mean for Grouped Data
• Grouped data are the data or scores that are arranged in a frequency
distribution.
• Frequency distribution is the arrangement of scores according to
category of classes including the frequency.
• Frequency is the number of observations falling in a category.
• Mean for grouped data is also called midpoint method.
Σ𝑓𝑥𝑚
𝑥ҧ =
𝑛
 Measure of Central Tendency 13

(Mean)
Mean for Grouped Data

Σ𝑓𝑥𝑚
𝑥ҧ =
𝑛
Where: x = mean value
f = frequency in each class or category
𝑥𝑚 = midpoint of each class or category
Σ𝑓𝑥𝑚 =summation of the product of 𝑓𝑥𝑚
 Measure of Central Tendency 14

(Mean)
Steps in Solving Mean for Grouped Data
1. Find the midpoint or class mark (𝑥𝑚 ) of each class or
𝐿𝐿+𝑈𝐿
category using the formula 𝑥𝑚 = 2 .
2. Multiply the frequency and the corresponding class mark
𝑓𝑥𝑚 .
3. Find the sum of the results in step 2.
Σ𝑓𝑥𝑚
4. Solve the mean using the formula 𝑥ҧ = .
𝑛
 15

Scores of 40 students in a science class consist of 60 items and they are tabulated
below.
X f 𝑿𝒎 𝒇𝒙𝒎
Σ𝑓𝑥𝑚 1345
10- 𝑥ҧ = 𝑥ҧ = ഥ = 𝟑𝟑. 𝟔𝟑
𝒙
5 12 60 𝑛 40
14
15- Analysis: The mean performance of 40
2 17 34
19 students in science quiz is 33.63. Those
20- students who got scores below 33.63 did
3 22 66 not perform well in the said examination
24
while those students who got scores above
25-
5 27 135 33.63 performed well.
29
30-
2 32 64
34
 Measure of Central Tendency 16

(Mean)
Properties of the Mean
1. It measures stability. Mean is the most stable among other measures of
central tendency because every score contributes to the value of the
mean;
2. The sum of each score’s distance (deviations) from the mean is zero;
3. It is easily affected by the extreme scores (outliers);
4. It may not be an actual score in the distribution;
5. It can be applied to interval level of measurement; and
6. It is very easy to compute.
 Measure of Central Tendency 17

(Mean)
When to Use the Mean
1. Sampling stability is desired.
2. Other measures are to be computed such as
standard deviation, coefficient of variation and
skewness.
 Measure of Central Tendency 18

(Median)
• Median is the second type of measures of central tendency.
• Median is what divides the scores in the distribution into two equal parts.
• Fifty percent (50%) lies below the median value and 50% lies above the median
value.
• Also known as the middle score or the 50th percentile.
• Numbers must be arranged from lowest to highest.
• When the number cases are odd, the median score is a score that has the same
number of scores below and above it.
• When the scores are even, determine the average of the two middle most scores
that have equal number of scores below and above it.
 Measure of Central Tendency 19

(Median)
Median of Ungrouped Data
1. Arrange the scores.
2. Determine the middle most score in a distribution if
n is an odd number and get the average of the two
middle most scores if n is an even number.
 Measure of Central Tendency 20

(Median)
Example 1

Find the median score of 7 students in an English class.

 Measure of Central Tendency 21

(Median)
Example 2

Find the median score of 8 students in an English class.

 Measure of Central Tendency 22

(Median)
Median of Grouped Data
Formula:
𝑛
− 𝑐𝑓𝑝
𝑥෤ = 𝐿𝐵 + 2 𝑐. 𝑖
𝑓𝑚

෥
𝒙 = 𝑚𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑛 𝑣𝑎𝑙𝑢𝑒
𝑛
MC = median class is a category containing the
2
𝑳𝑩 = 𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑒𝑑𝑖𝑎𝑛 𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑀𝐶
cfp = cumulative frequency before (after/below) the median class if the scores are arranged from
lowest to highest value (highest to lowest value)
fm = frequency of the median class
c.i = size of the class interval
 Measure of Central Tendency 23

(Median)
Steps in Solving Median for Grouped Data
1. Complete the table for cf<.
𝑛
2. Get of the scores in the distribution so that you can
2
identify MC.
3. Determine 𝐿𝐵 , cfp, fm, and c.i.
4. Solve the median using the formula.
 Measure of Central Tendency 24

(Median)
Example 3

Scores of 40 students in a science class consist of 60

items and they are tabulated. The highest score is 54
and the lowest score is 10.
 Measure of Central Tendency 25

(Median)
Properties of the Median
1. It may not be an actual observation in the data
set.
2. It can be applied in ordinal level.
3. It is not affected by extreme values because
median is a positional measure.
 Measure of Central Tendency 26

(Median)

When to Use the Median

1. The exact midpoint of the score distribution is
desired.
2. There are extreme scores in the distribution.
 Measure of Central Tendency 27

(Mode)
• Mode is the third measure of central tendency.
• The mode or the modal score is a score or scores that occurred most in
the distribution.
• Unimodal is a distribution of scores that consists of only one mode.
• Bimodal is a distribution of scores that consists of two modes.
• Trimodal is a distribution of scores that consists of three modes or
multimodal is a distribution of scores that consists of more than two
modes.
Example 1. Scores of 10 students in Section A, Section B, and Section C
28

Scores of Section A Scores of Section B Scores of Section C

25 25 25
24 24 25
24 24 25
20 20 22
20 18 21
20 18 21
16 17 21
12 10 18
10 9 18
7 7 18
 Measure of Central Tendency 29

(Mode)
Mode for Grouped Data
In solving the mode value using grouped data, use the formula:

𝑑1
𝑥ො = 𝐿𝐵 + 𝑐. 𝑖
𝑑1 + 𝑑2

𝑳𝑩 = 𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑟 𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑𝑎𝑟𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑑𝑎𝑙 𝑐𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑠

Modal Class (MC) = is a category containing the highest frequency
d1 = difference between the frequency of the modal class and the frequency above it, when the
scores are arranged from lowest to highest
d2 = difference between the frequency of the modal class and the frequency below it, when the
scores are arranged from lowest to highest
c.i = size of the class interval
Example 2. Scores of 40 students in a science class consist of 60 items and they are tabulated
below. 30

x f
10-14 5
15-19 2
20-24 3
25-29 5
30-34 2
35-39 9
40-44 6
45-49 3
50-54 5
n = 40
 Measure of Central Tendency 31

(Mode)
Properties of the Mode
1. It can be used when the data are qualitative as
well as quantitative.
2. It may not be unique.
3. It is not affected by extreme values.
4. It may not exist.
 Measure of Central Tendency 32

(Mode)
When to Use the Mode
1. When the “typical” value is desired.
2. When the data set is measured on a
nominal scale.
 Measure of Position 33

(Quantiles)
• Quantile is a score distribution where the scores are divided
into different equal parts.
Three Kinds of Quantiles
• Quartile is a score point that divides the scores in the
distribution into four (4) equal parts.
• Decile is a score point that divides the scores in the
distribution into ten (10) equal parts.
• Percentile is a score that divides the scores in the distribution
into hundred (100) equal parts.
34
Measure of 35

Position
(Quantiles)
 Measure of Position
36
(Quantiles for Ungrouped Data)
 37

Measure of
Position
(Percentile for
Ungrouped
Data)
 Measure of Position 38

(Quantiles for Grouped Data)

 39

Measure of
Position
(Deciles for
Grouped
Data)
 40

Measure of
Position
(Percentiles
of Grouped
Data)
 Measure of Position 41

(Quantiles)
Quantiles for Ungrouped Data

Example: Using the given data 6, 8, 10, 12, 12, 14,

15, 16. Find Q1, Q3, D6, D9, P65, P99. (n = 9)
 Measure of Position 42

(Quantiles)
Quartiles for Grouped Data

Example 1: The data for the scores of fifty (50)

students in Filipino class are given. Solve for the value
of Q1. (n=50)
 Measure of Central Tendency 43

(Quantiles)
Quartiles for Grouped Data

Example 2: The data for the scores of fifty (50)

students in Filipino class are given. Solve for the value
of Q3. (n=50)
 Measure of Central Tendency 44

(Quantiles)
Deciles for Grouped Data

Example 3: The data for the scores of fifty (50)

students in Filipino class are given. Solve for the value
of D5. (n=50)
 Measure of Central Tendency 45

(Quantiles)
Deciles for Grouped Data

Example 4: The data for the scores of fifty (50)

students in Filipino class are given. Solve for the value
of D7. (n=50)
 Measure of Central Tendency 46

(Quantiles)
Percentiles for Grouped Data

Example 5: The data for the scores of fifty (50)

students in Filipino class are given. Solve for the value
of P82. (n=50)
 Measure of Central Tendency 47

(Quantiles)
Percentiles for Grouped Data

Example 6: The data for the scores of fifty (50)

students in Filipino class are given. Solve for the value
of P91. (n=50)
 48

Measures of Variation
• Central tendency is the distribution of scores.
• Also, we want to know how close or how far is the distance of the scores
of students in a certain test from the average performance of the group.
• Measure of variation is a single value that is used to describe the spread
of the scores in a distribution.
• The term variation is also known as variability or dispersion.
• There are several ways of describing the variation of scores: absolute
measures of variation & relative measures of variation.
Let us consider the scores of students in three sections of mathematics class. We shall consider
the spread of scores based on graphical presentation.
Section A Section B Section C
12 12 12
12 12 12
14 12 12
15 13 12
17 13 12
18 14 12
18 17 13
18 20 26
19 20 26
23 28 26
23 28 26
30 30 30
𝐱ത = 𝟏𝟖. 𝟐𝟓 𝐱ത = 𝟏𝟖. 𝟐𝟓 𝐱ത = 𝟏𝟖. 𝟐𝟓
s = 5.15 s = 6.92 s = 7.63
• What can you observe about the mean and the standard deviation of the three
groups of scores?
• Which group of students performed well in the class?
• Which group of scores is most widespread? Less scattered?
• Before answering such questions, let us first discuss the different types of measures
of variation.
 Types of Absolute Measures 51

of Variation (Range)
1. Range
- The difference between the highest score and the lowest score in a
distribution.
- The simplest and the crudest measure of variation, simplest because we shall
only consider the highest and lowest score.

Range for Ungrouped Data

R = HS – LS
Where, R = range value
HS = highest scores
LS = lowest score
 Types of Absolute Measures 52

of Variation (Range)
Example 1: Find the range of the two groups of score distribution.
GROUP A GROUP B
10 (LS) 15 (LS)
12 16
15 16
17 17
25 17
26 23
28 25
30 26
35 (HS) 30 (HS)
 Types of Absolute Measures 53

of Variation (Range)
Range for Grouped Data

R = HSUB - LSLB

Where, R = range value

HSUB = upper boundary of the highest score
LSLB = lower boundary of the lowest score
 Types of Absolute Measures 54

of Variation (Range)
Example 2: Find the value of range of the scores of 50 students in Mathematics achievement
test. X f
25-32 3
33-40 7
41-48 5
49-56 4
57-64 12
65-72 6
73-80 8
81-88 3
89-97 2
 Types of Absolute Measures 55

of Variation (Range)
Properties of Range
• It is quick and easy to understand.
• It is a rough estimation of variation.
• It is easily affected by the extreme scores.

Interpretation of Range Value

• When the range value is large, the scores in the distribution are more
dispersed, widespread or heterogeneous.
• When the range value is small, the scores in the distribution are less
dispersed, less scattered, or homogeneous.
 Types of Absolute Measures 56

of Variation (IQR & QD)

2. Inter-quartile Range (IQR) & Quartile Deviation (QD)

IQR is the difference between the third quartile and the first quartile.

IQR = Q3 – Q1

Properties of Inter-quartile Range

1. Reduces the influence of extreme values.
2. Not as easy to calculate as the range.
3. Only considers the middle 50% of the scores in the distribution.
4. The point of dispersion is the median value.
 Types of Absolute Measures 57

of Variation (IQR & QD)

Quartile deviation
- Indicates the distance we need to go above and below the median to include the
middle 50% of the scores;
- It is based on the range of the middle 50% of the scores, instead of the range of the
entire set.

𝑸𝟑 − 𝑸𝟏
𝑸𝑫 =
𝟐
Where, QD = quartile deviation value
𝑸𝟏 = value of first quartile
𝑸𝟑 = value of third quartile
 Types of Absolute Measures 58

of Variation (IQR & QD)

Steps in Solving Quartile Deviation of Ungrouped Data
1. Solve for the value of the first quartile.
2. Solve for the value of the third quartile.
3. Solve for the value of QD using the formula.
 Types of Absolute Measures 59

of Variation (IQR & QD)

Quartile Deviation of Ungrouped Data

Example 1: Using the given data 6, 8, 10, 12, 12, 14, 15, 16, 20,
find the quartile deviation.
Quartile Deviation of Grouped Data 60

x f cf<
25-32 3 3
33-40 7 10
Example 2: The data given
41-48 5 15
below are the scores of fifty
49-56 4 19
(50) students in Filipino class. 57-64 12 31
Solve for the value of quartile 65-72 6 37
deviation (QD). 73-80 8 45
81-88 3 48
89-97 2 50
 Types of Absolute Measures 61

of Variation (IQR & QD)

Interpretation of IQR and QD
• The larger the value of the IQR or QD, the more dispersed the
scores at the middle 50% of the distribution.
• If the IQR or QD is small, the scores are less dispersed at the
middle 50% of the dispersion.
• The point of dispersion is the median value.
 Types of Absolute Measures 62

of Variation (IQR & QD)

Analysis for IQR & QD
• When the value of IQR and QD is small, the scores are
clustered within the middle 50% of the score distribution.
• The scores are dispersed in the middle 50% of the distribution
when the value IQR & QD is large.
 Types of Absolute Measures 63

of Variation (Mean Deviation)

3. Mean Deviation (MD) measures the average

deviation of the values from the arithmetic mean. It gives
equal weight to the deviation of every score in the
distribution.
 Types of Absolute Measures 64

of Variation (Mean Deviation)

Mean Deviation for Ungrouped Data

𝜮Τ𝒙 − 𝒙
ഥ/
𝑴𝑫 =
𝒏
Where, MD = mean deviation value
x = individual score
𝑥ҧ = sample mean
n = number of cases
 Types of Absolute Measures 65

of Variation (Mean Deviation)

Steps in Solving Mean Deviation for Ungrouped Data

1. Solve the mean value.
2. Subtract the mean value from each score.
3. Take the absolute value of the difference in step 2.
4. Solve the mean deviation using the formula.
 Types of Absolute Measures 66

of Variation (Mean Deviation)

𝒙 𝒙−ഥ
𝒙 /𝒙 − ഥ
𝒙/
Example 1: 35 13.8 13.8
30 8.8 8.8
Find the mean deviation of the 26 4.8 4.8
scores of 10 students in a 24 2.8 2.8
Mathematics test. Given the 20 -1.2 1.2
scores: 35, 30, 26, 24, 20, 18, 18 -3.2 3.2
18, 16, 15, 10. 18 -3.2 3.2
16 -5.2 5.2
15 -6.2 6.2
 Types of Absolute Measures 67

of Variation (Mean Deviation)

Mean Deviation for Grouped Data

𝜮𝒇Τ𝒙𝒎 − 𝒙 ഥ/
𝑴𝑫 =
𝒏
Where, MD = mean deviation value
f = class frequency
𝑥𝑚 = class mark or midpoint of each category
𝑥ҧ = sample mean
n = number of cases
 Types of Absolute Measures 68

of Variation (Mean Deviation)

Steps in Solving Mean Deviation for Grouped Data
1. Solve for the value of the mean.
2. Subtract the mean value from each midpoint or class mark.
3. Take the absolute value of each difference.
4. Multiply the absolute value and the corresponding class frequency.
5. Find the sum of the results in step 4.
6. Solve for the mean deviation using the formula for grouped data.
Example 2: Find the mean deviation of the given scores below.

𝒙𝒎 /𝒙𝒎 -
𝒙 𝒇 𝒙𝒎 𝒇𝒙𝒎 𝒇/𝒙𝒎 − ഥ
𝒙/
−ഥ
𝒙 ഥ
𝒙/
10-14 5 12 60 -21.63 21.63 108.15
15-19 2 17 34 -16.23 16.23 33.26
20-24 3 22 66 -11.63 11.63 34.89
25-29 5 27 135 -6.63 6.63 33.15
30-34 2 32 64 -1.63 1.63 3.26
35-39 9 37 333 3.37 3.37 30.33
40-44 6 42 252 8.37 8.37 50.22
45-49 3 47 141 13.37 13.37 40.11
50-54 5 52 260 18.37 18.37 91.85
f𝒙𝒎 = 𝒇/𝒙𝒎 − ഥ
𝒙/=
n = 40
 Types of Absolute Measures 70

of Variation (Variance & SD)

4. Variance & Standard Deviation

Variance is one of the most important measures of

variation. It shows variation about the mean.
 Types of Absolute Measures 71

of Variation (Variance & SD)

Variance of Ungrouped Data

Population Variance
2
Σ(𝑥 − 𝜇)
𝜎2 =
𝑁

Sample Variance
2
Σ(𝑥 − 𝑥)
ҧ
𝑠2 =
𝑛−1
 Types of Absolute Measures 72

of Variation (Variance & SD)

Steps in Solving Variation of Ungrouped Data
1. Solve for the mean value.
2. Subtract the mean value from each score.
3. Square the difference between the mean and each score.
4. Find the sum of the results in step 3.
5. Solve for the population variance or sample variance using the
formula of ungrouped data.
Example 1: Using the data below, find the variance and standard deviation of the
scores of 10 students in a science quiz. Interpret the result.

𝒙 𝒙 − ഥ
𝒙 𝒙)𝟐
(𝒙 − ഥ
19 4.4 19.36
17 2.4 5.76
16 1.4 1.96
16 1.4 1.96
15 0.4 0.16
14 -0.6 0.36
14 -0.6 0.36
13 -1.6 2.56
12 -2.6 6.76
10 -4.6 21.16
x = 146
𝒙)𝟐 = 𝟔𝟎. 𝟒𝟎
𝜮(𝒙 − ഥ
ഥ
𝒙 = 𝟏𝟒. 𝟔
 Types of Absolute Measures 74

of Variation (Variance & SD)

Variance of Grouped Data

Population Variance
2
2
Σ𝑓(𝑥 𝑚 − 𝜇)
𝜎 =
𝑁

Sample Variance
2
2
Σ𝑓(𝑥 𝑚 − 𝑥)
ҧ
𝑠 =
𝑛−1
 Types of Absolute Measures 75

of Variation (Variance & SD)

Steps in Solving the Variance of Grouped Data
1. Solve for the mean value.
2. Subtract the mean value from each midpoint or class mark.
3. Square the difference between the mean value and midpoint or class
mark.
4. Multiply the squared differences and the corresponding class frequency.
5. Find the sum of step 4.
6. Solve the population variance or sample variance using the formula of
grouped data.
 Example 2: Score distribution of the test results of 40 students in Filipino class
consisting of 50 items. Solve the variance and standard deviation and interpret
the result.

𝒙𝒎
𝒙 𝒇 𝒙𝒎 𝒇𝒙𝒎 ഥ
𝒙 𝒙 )𝟐
(𝒙𝒎 − ഥ 𝒙 )𝟐
𝒇(𝒙𝒎 − ഥ
−ഥ
𝒙
15- 17. 33.
3 52.5 -16.2 262.44 787.32
20 5 7
21- 23. 33.
6 141 -10.2 104.04 624.24
26 5 7
27- 29. 33.
5 147.5 -4.2 17.64 88.2
32 5 7
33- 35. 33.
15 532.5 1.8 3.24 48.6
38 5 7
39- 41. 33.
 Types of Absolute Measures 77

of Variation (Variance & SD)

Standard deviation is the most important measures of

variation. It is also known as the square root of the
variance. It is the average distance of all the scores that
deviates from the mean value.
 Types of Absolute Measures 78

of Variation (Variance & SD)

Standard Deviation of Ungrouped Data

Population Standard Deviation

Σ(𝑋 − 𝜇)2
𝜎=
𝑁

Sample Standard Deviation

Σ(𝑥 − 𝑥)ҧ 2
𝑠=
𝑛−1
 Types of Absolute Measures 79

of Variation (Variance & SD)

Steps in Solving Standard Deviation of Ungrouped Data
1. Solve for the mean value.
2. Subtract the mean value from each score.
3. Square the difference between the mean and each score.
4. Find the sum of step 3.
5. Solve for the population standard deviation or sample standard deviation
using the formula for ungrouped data.

Note: If the variance is already solved, take the square root of the variance to
get the value of the standard deviation.
 Types of Absolute Measures 80

of Variation (Variance & SD)

Example:

Using the data on example 1, solve the population and

sample standard deviation.
 Types of Absolute Measures 81

of Variation (Variance & SD)

Steps in Solving Standard Deviation of Grouped Data
1. Solve for the mean value.
2. Subtract the mean value from each midpoint or class mark.
3. Square the difference between the mean value and midpoint or class
mark.
4. Multiply the squared difference and the corresponding class frequency.
5. Find the sum of the results in step 4.
6. Solve the population and sample standard deviation using the formula for
grouped data
 Types of Absolute Measures 82

of Variation (Variance & SD)

Example:

Using the data on example 2, solve the population and

sample standard deviation.
 Types of Absolute Measures 83

of Variation (Variance & SD)

Interpretation of Standard Deviation
1. If the value of SD is large, on the average, the scores in the
distribution will be far from the mean. Therefore, the scores are
spread out around the mean value. The distribution is also known
as heterogeneous.
2. If the value of SD is small, on the average, the scores in the
distribution will be closed to the mean. Hence, the scores are less
dispersed or the scores in the distribution are homogeneous.
• What can you observe about the mean and the standard deviation of the three
groups of scores?
• Which group of students performed well in the class?
• Which group of scores is most widespread? Less scattered?
• Before answering such questions, let us first discuss the different types of measures
of variation.
What can you observe about the mean and the standard deviation of the three groups
of scores?

Answer: The mean of the three groups of scores is the same which is equal to 18.25 and
the standard deviation of section A = 5.15, section B = 6.92, and section C = 7.63.
Which group of students performed well in the class?

Answer: In terms of performance, the three sections of students perform the same
because they have the same mean value of 18.25.
 Which group of scores is most
widespread? Less scattered?

Answer: The SD of section A = 5.15, section B = 6.92 and section C = 7.63. The
scores that are most scattered are those in section C because they have the
largest value of SD which is equal to 7.63. On the other hand, the less scattered
group of scores is in section A which has the smallest value of SD which is equal to
5.15. Therefore, the smaller value of SD on the average the closer the scores are
to the mean value and the larger value of SD on the average makes the scores
scattered from the mean value.
 Types of Absolute Measures 88

of Variation (Variance & SD)

Properties of Variance and Standard Deviation

1. The most commonly used measures of variation most especially
in research.
2. It shows variation of the individual scores about the mean.